Supernatural 1:4-5

1:4 PHANTOM TRAVELER

Directed by Robert Singer. Original Airdate: October 4, 2005.

Watched and Reviewed on May 23, 2011.

Synopsis: A plane reservation is a ticket to terror when a phantom traveler forces a jet into a crash landing. Knowing the phantom is on another flight, Sam and Dean board to attempt an in-air exorcism.

This episode revolves around unexplained recurring plane crashes and demonic possession. There's not really much to say about this episode other than it's somewhat comedic in tone. As far as the possession aspect, I'd say it's more EVIL DEAD than EXORCIST (the latter actually gets name-dropped, unsurprisingly), except minus all of the blood and pus and diarrhea and dismemberment and whatnot. There are a couple of shots towards the end of the episode that reek of Sam Raimi. Music-wise, I love that the show in general features a bunch of classic rock and old-school metal tunes in each episode. This particular episode features "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath. There's also a funny James Hetfield reference somewhere in there. As for the plot, you really have to suspend your disbelief with this one. It's actually quite ridiculous. Overall, an amusing but forgettable episode.

Score: 6

1:5 BLOODY MARY

Directed by Peter Ellis. Original Airdate: October 11, 2005.

Watched and Reviewed on May 25, 2011.

Synopsis: "Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary." An incantation uttered during a game of truth or dare unleashes a ghoul who "lives" in mirrors... and kills by gouging the eyes out of her prey.

This was a great episode in spots and an average episode in others. As usual, the brothers come across some rather convenient leads and insider information regarding the particular "hunt", and they manage to easily sneak in and out of places and obtain the aforementioned insider info without any trouble. This is something I have a problem with, but I'm sure it's just a matter of getting used to it as the series moves along and being aware of the fact that I have to suspend my disbelief almost completely. On the other hand, the recurring conventions and episode structure is something I can live with, because it's also what KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER - my favorite Monster of the Week show ever - greatly suffered from.

On the plus side, the episode moves along at an excellent pace and the story kept my attention all the way through. The mythology of the Bloody Mary legend is explored (and explained), and the writers did a good job of making sense of it and tying it into the running storyline. Like DEAD IN THE WATER, this was a serious episode in tone and lacking a lot of the comedic dialogue and interaction between the brothers, which is neither a good nor bad thing; at this point I could really go either way with the tone. Aside from the engaging plot, a likable supporting character (played by Marnette Patterson), a satisfactory ending, and the similarities to certain Japanese horror movies, there's nothing noteworthy about BLOODY MARY that comes to mind.

Score: 6.5